Over the past fifteen months, we have been referring to Microsoft's upcoming version of Windows 8 specifically catered for ARM-based devices as "Windows 8 ARM Edition." Announced during Microsoft's CES 2011 keynote, the ARM-based version of Microsoft's next OS has been under development for quite some time and started seeding to developers only two months ago in February.

On Monday, Microsoft formally announced four versions of Windows 8 that it will be officially launching on the consumer and enterprise markets. The first three versions will be physically available in retail / online shelves, and they are simply called "Windows 8," "Windows 8 Pro" and "Windows 8 Enterprise."

Microsoft Blog Post: Announcing the Windows 8 Editions

The fourth version, however, is the one we have been referring to all this time as "Windows 8 ARM Edition." It will officially be called "Windows 8 RT," where the RT stands for "runtime." Microsoft chose this name as it closely resembles its new Windows Runtime (WinRT) programming model that makes the backbone of new Metro-style apps (also known as Immersive) in Windows 8. In short, WinRT supports development in C++ (usually with Component Extensions, C++/CX) and the managed languages C# and VB.NET, as well as JavaScript.

Unlike Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, Windows RT won't be upgradeable from any edition of Windows 7, obviously, but it also won't get Windows Media Player or Storage Spaces. What Windows 8 RT does give you is Device Encryption and Microsoft Office already bundled with the OS, neither of which is available for Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

Economically speaking, however, Windows 8 RT is expected to be one of the most cost-efficient patforms available when it goes massively public around the timeframe of Mobile World Congress 2013. Unfortunately, the release date had been pushed back from Q3 2012, to an announcement during Mobile World Congress 2013, and finally availability beginning Q2 2013, according to several highly-ranked Microsoft executives.

Microsoft's full blog post announcing all Windows 8 product editions can be found here.

Forget about all the incessantly convoluted talk of conventional computing being replaced by a more sophisticated "Post-PC" era demarked by tablets, smartphones and Smart TVs which all utilize the "computer-like" architectures and apparently have no say in popular media anymore as "being anymore of a PC" than, well, a PC. According to a recent post on Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog, the company is preparing to support a wide variety of highly pixel-dense resolutions on its forthcoming Windows 8 operating system.

Microsoft's own Steven Sinofsky, President of the Windows Division, has stated that screen size, resolution, and pixel density were each considered carefully when designing Windows 8 for users and developers. "When talking about screens, it is very important to be clear about the variable or dimension being talked about," says Sinofsky. "For example, a 13” screen might be running at any number of resolutions (which means any number of pixel densities) and might have one of several different aspect ratios. But just because more content can fit on screen this doesn’t mean every app will make use of this space. If an app is designed with fixed dimensions or a specific form factor in mind, larger monitors may display a large empty region, as in the example below. This is not a good experience, as some have commented."

This is where "Post-HD" resolutions with pixel density reminiscent of Apple's Retina Displays come to mind. Microsoft has essentially analyzed the expected range of display sizes and resolutions for smartphones, tablets, notebooks, ultrabooks and desktops, and have identified a "sweet spot" zone for the three general classes of resolutions - Standard High Definition (1366x768), Full High Definition (1920x1080) and Quad XGA (2560x1440). The company ultimate anticipates a future in which tablets running Windows 8 ARM Edition will also feature resolutions higher than Full HD, similar to Apple's third-generation iPad (2048x1536), and has adopted solutions that will cater to such a wide diversity of pixel ranges - including new scaling methods for text and support for SVG as a standard development asset.

This morning, Microsoft finally released its much-anticipated Windows 8 Consumer Preview - a publicly available "extensive upgrade" over the Windows 8 Developer Preview it released on September 13, 2011 from its BUILD developer conference held in Anaheim, Southern California.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview officially went live on the morning of Leap Day, February 29, 2012, although the actual download speeds for the large ISO files (2.5GB for the 32-bit edition, 3.3GB for the 64-bit version) have been times sluggish due to heavy enthusiast demand.

Nevertheless, Windows 8 Consumer Preview can be installed as an upgrade over the Developer Preview hat Microsoft shipped last September and can even be upgraded over Windows 7, Vista and even Windows XP RTM builds.

Image source: AnandTech

As for a physical product announcement, Microsoft used the backdrop of Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, Spain to hold an onstage demonstration of the Consumer Preview on a variety of x86 and ARM-based devices. Most interestingly, of course, were the company's demonstrations on Nvidia's Tegra 3, Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Krait and Texas Instruments' OMAP 5 and Intel's Clover Trail platform. According to sources at the event, all four of these platform will be support Windows 8 at launch, but not all will be available when the OS launches.

According to highly-ranked Microsoft executives who have spoken with our friends over at BSN, it appears that the company is quietly restrategizing its Windows 8 launch dates for both x86 / x64 and ARM Editions of the operating system.

As the story goes, Microsoft has been hinting to its OEMs, partners and vendors for quite some time that it plans to release Windows 8 Consumer Preview in just a few days from now and would follow up with the final RTM build of Windows 8 by the end of Q2 2012. The sources are now stating, however, that the company will officially delay Windows 8 x86 / x64 RTM editions until Q4 2012 and will compensate by extending the longevity of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Nevertheless, executive management at Microsoft are now considering two alternative options. The first option would be to release a 180-day trial of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which would expire sometime in September (end of Q3 2012), followed by a 90-day extension, which would give the general public more than enough time to become acquainted with the new OS. The second option would be to release a 365-day trial version and allow consumers to test drive the operating system even a few months after the final Windows 8 x86 / x64 RTM launch in Q4 2012.

The more unfortunate news surrounding the release, however, is the company's talk of delaying Windows 8 ARM Edition all the way until sometime in Q2 2013. This would put the launch timeframe around Mobile World Congress 2013 and would give tablet vendors more preparation to finalize any Windows 8 ARM marketing strategies for next-generation mobile products.

Of course, Microsoft intends to keep information regarding these delays under wraps and is counting on high consumer expectations that Windows 8 will ship soon. BSN notes that both Intel and AMD are the big winners in this situation, as the x86-based giants will be able to increase marketshare of 32nm Intel Atom Medfield tablets and AMD Fusion Bobcat APUs during the six-month timeframe between Q4 2012 and Q2 2013.

Since the launch of Microsoft Windows 3.0 in May 1990, the Redmond-based software giant has continued to use the same four-colored flapping flag to distinguish its most significant software product to the world at large. Over the past two successive decades, the flag has undergone several color-graded changes, including some noteworthy facelifts (see: Windows XP and Windows 7), but has ultimately remained the same notoriously recognized "Windows flag" for nearly three generations of PC users.

Microsoft Windows 3.0 logo (May 1990)

Unfortunately, the time has finally come for the corporation to replace its tride-and-true emblem with a refreshing yet monochromatic 4-sided diagonal window pane that emphasizes the term "windows" more than it emphasizes the current multi-colored "flag." Based on some leaked images originating from Chinese forum CNBeta, the company intends to use its new monochromatic logo not only in the new Windows 8 Consumer Preview boot screen, but also on a slew of upcoming Windows 8 tablets that will hit the market beginning Q3 2012.

Of course, many analysts are unsure whether or not these photos are official. CNBeta has been noted in the past for leaking semi-photoshopped images that are available elsewhere, but due to the fact that a hardware photo has been leaked, we remain skeptically optimistic regarding the validity of the new emblem.

The device depicted in the image above is unquestionably an ARM-based tablet running a current build of Windows 8 ARM Edition, as Microsoft has said in the past that it would require a new one-tap "home button" in its manufacturing partner hardware requirements.